Help Bernard fight cancer

Hi, my fiancée Brianna and I are raising funds to help our dog fight cancer. Bernard is three years old and received a B-Cell lymphoma diagnosis a few weeks before Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to that we caught it early, given its aggressive nature. While lymphoma is common in dogs, our oncologist indicated that it was unusual given that Bernard is young.

We were able to get him in to a specialist and begin the CHOP treatment protocol within two weeks. It’s a 19 week protocol with weekly visits to the specialist for chemotherapy. We have been paying out of pocket for each visit and have spent $8,500 thus far. The treatment estimate is $12k - $14k and only concerns the chemotherapy protocol. We have spent approximately $2,500 with our primary vet for the diagnosis and related lab work, radiology, cancer cell phenotype etc.

I have exhausted the remainder of my emergency fund savings. Our furnace and heat pump died this summer and needed to be replaced. I paid $25k out of savings for that. We have pushed back our wedding, even though we have planned a minimalist “micro wedding” with a small number of friends and family and have cut our expenditures as much as possible. In fact, Bernard is integral in our wedding as we found a local unique venue that allows him to attend and be an active participant.

Unfortunately, more cash is going out than coming in each month and I am feeling backed into a corner. We expected the protocol to end in early February but it has been extended through March. We are told this is great news since he is tolerating the chemotherapy well they don’t need to taper or reduce the chemotherapy and extend the treatment protocol giving him the best possible remission opportunity. It’s wonderful news but increases our expense.

We are truly grateful for the lifesaving treatment we were able to quickly secure for Bernard. If we had not been able to act quickly, we were told he would not have made it passed the holidays. Every day is a blessing and step forward.

I have tremendous difficulty asking for help and even more difficulty accepting help. Both Brianna and I have always been self sufficient people but 2023 was the year of significant unexpected expenditures which drained emergency savings. I contacted my bank for a HELOC and was told it would be a 6-8 week approval process which doesn’t help our “stopgap” need which is quickly approaching. I’ve listed my car for sale and have listed it below its KBB value. There will always be another car…but only one Bernard.

We are truly appreciative and grateful for any support you may be able to offer. We will continue to update with his progress and include photos. We are so glad he that he is still with us as showing significant improvement.

All funds donated will be applied to Bernard’s current or future chemotherapy treatments. It is expected that we pay in full at the conclusion of each visit. This is approximates to $1k every two weeks. Any amount helps us given the high cost of the medications.

Thank you for your consideration.